The west country installation company Wessex Fire & Security has acquired Wilton Alarm Services, the Salisbury-based firm. The deal, for an undisclosed sum, brings together two companies based near to each other and with a similar ethos and outlook, the firms say.
The acquisition means that the number of contracts overseen by Wessex Fire & Security now exceeds 10,000. Peter Edge, the managing director of Wilton Alarm Services, will be working two days a week to see a smooth hand-over. Jess Lutwyche, managing director of Wessex Fire & Security, which is based in Shaftesbury, north Dorset, said the acquisition has brought the total number of staff to almost 100.
Wessex Fire & Security is part of the family-owned Wessex Group of companies and it works mainly within a 70-mile radius of its head office. Wessex says that the staff of Wilton Alarm Services have moved across to help ensure customers won’t notice a difference in service.
Jess said: “Before this acquisition we had to make sure that the culture of the two businesses was compatible. Wilton Alarm Services has developed a great reputation since it was founded by Peter 25 years ago and it shares our values and high levels of service.
“It is also near to us, making it even more of a suitable fit for our business. Over time the Wilton Alarm Services’ branding on its bell boxes will be replaced with the distinctive ‘Wessex owl’. To ensure a smooth transition Peter has agreed to stay on. Customers of Wilton Alarm Services won’t notice any difference, and they will more than likely be visited by the same engineers.”
Peter added: “I have grown the business over many years and as I’m fast approaching 65 I’ve decided to semi-retire. In Wessex Fire & Security I have found a local, long-standing family business which appreciates my company, understands how it operates and will develop its potential. Having built up decades of goodwill with my customers I would not sell to a company I wasn’t confident would continue those valuable relationships.”
Peter Edge is pictured with Jess Lutwyche, outside Wilton House near Salisbury.
Visit www.wessexgroup.co.uk/security.
